Street-indicator.



J. MEANY.

STREET INDICATOR,

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1913. 1,064,758. Patented June 17,1913.

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J. MEANY.

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.11,1913.

1,064,758. Patented June 17, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MEANY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STREET-INDICATOR.

Application filed February 11, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES MEANY, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Indiantors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in street indicators, the object of the invention being to provide an apparatus of this character which is designed to be installed in street cars and the like, and which may be operated to display the names of the streets as the car approaches such streets, and also permit of the use of the device for advertising purposes.

A further object is to provide a street in dicator which is adapted to be reversed and display both sides of a strip, the latter printed on both sides, so that the streets of any given route may be displayed in regular order when the car is going in both directions.

A further object is to provide an improved mounting for a device of this character which permits it to be readily swung into position so as to display either side and held in such position.

A further object is to provide improved means for moving the flexible strip containing the name of the streets and the advertising past a transparent section or opening in the casing to expose said printed matter.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical longitudinal section on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the flexible strip. Fig. 4 is a view in section on the line 1-4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view in section on the line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a frag- Inentary view in section on an enlarged scale on the line 66 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the device in operative position.

1 represents a casing of general rectangular form having its front and rear faces Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1'7, 1913.

Serial No. 747,590.

The casing 1 is supported by pivoted links I 5 connected to the top and bottom of the casing and having pivotal support in brackets 6 secured to some fixed part of the car, preferably at one end thereof. Also fixed to the car are two spring catches 7 which are adapted to engage angular lugs 8 on the ends of casing 1 and securely hold the casing in its operative position as indicated most clearly in Figs. 1 and 8.

In the upper portion of casing 1, a shaft 9 is mounted, and has a drum 10 fixed thereon onto which one end of the flexible strip 11 is wound. The other end of this strip 11 is wound upon a drum 12 secured to a shaft 13 in the lower portion of the easing, and both of these shafts 9 and 13 are provided with spring brakes 14 which are secured to the casing and bear against the shafts so as to resist the rotary movement of the shafts and prevent accidental unwinding of the strip 11.

The strip 11 is guided through the restrictcd passage 3 by means of rollers 15, and is held out of contact with a driving shaft 16 by means of a roller 17 in the lower portion of the casing. This drivin shaft 16 is supported in the casing and is provided adjacent its ends with gear wheels 18 which mesh with gear wheels 19 secured to shaft 13, so that when the driving shaft 16 is turned, the drum 12 is caused to turn and wind strip 11 thereon. The strip 11 is printed on both sides and contains on both sides the names of the street-s or stations and between such names the strip is printed with advertising matter, so that as the strip is moved through passage 3, it will expose the advertising matter when the name of one street is being moved away and the name of another into place.

To move strip 11, a lever 39 is provided. This lever 39 has a cylindrical hub portion 20 supported to turn on shaft 16, and provided on one end with a circular series of ratchet teeth 21 engaging an oppositely arranged set of ratchet teeth 22 on a ring 24. This ring 24 is keyed to shaft 16, and is pressed into engagement with the hub 20 by means of a coiled spring 23, so that when the lever 39 is drawn downwardly, it will operate to turn the drive shaft 16 a pre determined distance, and when moved back to its normal position by means of a coiled spring 25, will not turn shaft. 16, as the arrangement of ratchet teeth 21 and 22 will permit the lever to swing upwardly without turning the shaft.

While any suitable means may be provided for moving the lever 39, I have illustrated a simple form of depending cord 26 attached to the lever and which may be manually operated by the conductor or motorman.

In normal operation, the strip 1]. is moved from drum 10 onto drum 12, so that when the car reaches the end of the route, it is necessary to rewind the strip 11 onto drum 10. To do this, it is necessary to first movehub 20 away from ring 21. Wit-h this end in View, I have provided the hub 20 with an annular groove 27 to receive pins 28 on the forked end of a lever 29. This lever 29 is pivoted at its lower end to a bracket 30 secured to the end of the casing 1, and above the pivotal point has swiveled connec tion with a rod 81. The rod 31 extends through an opening 32 in the end of the casing and has a knob on its outer end. A, key 34 is secured on the rod 31, and normally bears against the inner face of the end wall of the casing with the knob 33 against the outer face of said wall, so that the hub 20 is maintained in operative position.

The opening 32 is provided with a key way 35 which permits key 34 to move through the wall of the casing when turned into register therewith, hence when it is de sired to re-wind the strip 11, rod 31 is turned to aline its key 34 with the key way 35 when the rod may be moved longitudinally through the opening 32, and then turned so that the key 34.- will be positioned against the outer face of the casing end, and hold the hub 20 away from ring 2 1. When in this position, the upper drum 10 may be turned in a direct-ion to wind the strip 11 thereon. This winding may be done in various ways. I have illustrated for the purpose a sprocket chain 36 which is passed over a sprocket wheel 37 fixed to shaft 9.

As above stated, the strip 11 is printed on both sides with the streets in reverse order, so that when the end of the route is reached, and the strip 11 wound onto drum 10, the proper order of streets may appear upon the return trip of the car.

The operation is as follows: After the car passes one street, the conductor or motorman operates the lever 39 to move strip 11 through the passage 3, first exposing an advertisement and then the name of the street or station which the car is approaching. This operation is continued until the car reaches the end of the route when the motorman operates the rod 31 above referred to, to move the hub 20 away from ring 24. He then turns shaft 9 to wind strip 11 onto drum 10. He then releases the spring catches T from the lugs 8, and swings the casing 1 around to reverse the same, and moves the other pair of lugs 8 into locked engagement with catches 7. He next operates the rod 31 to return the hub 20 to its former position, and as the car begins its return trip, the operation will be as before, except that the opposite face of strip 11 will be exposed.

Various slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from my inven tion, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing having windows in both sides, links pivotally connected at one end to a fixed support, and at their free ends to the upper and lower faces of said casing, a movable tape in the casing movable between the windows and containing printed matter on both sides thereof, and means at both ends of said casing for securing the same with either of its windows outermost, substantially as described.

2. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing having windows in both sides, links pivotally connected at one end to a fixed support, and at their free ends to the upper and lower faces of said casing, a movable tape in the casing movable between the windows and containing printed matter on both sides thereof, means at both ends of said casing for securing the same with either of its windows outermost, said means comprising hooks on the ends of the casing, and spring catches adapted to engage said hooks, substantially as described.

3. An indicator of the character described, comprising a rectangular casing having windows in its front and rear faces, a tape movable between the windows and containing printed matter on both sides thereof, means within the casing for moving the tape, fixed brackets, links pivotally connected at one end to the brackets, and at their other ends to the top and bottom respectively of the cas ing at the center thereof, and means for locking the casing with either of its window faces outermost, substantially as described.

4. An indicator of the character described, comprising a rectangular casing having windows in its frontand rear faces, a tape movable between the Windows and containing printed matter on both sides thereof, means within the casing for moving the tape, fixed brackets, links pivotally connected at one end to the brackets, and at their other ends to the casing at the center thereof, two lugs on I l i t ing with either of its Windows outermost, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 1 name to this specification in the presence of top and bottom respectively of the each end of the casin and spring catehes adapted to engage the lugs and hold the eastwn snhsel'ihin; witnesses.

JAMES MEANY.

Witnesses:

( R. Zinennn, S. \V. Fos'rnn.

Copies of this patent may. be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

